"They were steadfast and immovable" - Come Follow Me - Mosiah 29 - Alma 4

Today as I was studying scriptures, and re-reading a chapter that I've studied several times in the last week, I felt an intense wave of emotion as I read Alma 2:30:

At this point in history, an evil man Almici, was trying to make himself king of Zarahemla. When he didn't succeed by vote, he made himself a king anyway with his followers, then tried to overthrow the Nephites in the land by brute force. When that didn't work, and the Amlicites had to flee from the Nephites, the Amlicites joined forces with the Lamanites to return and destroy the Nephites. That's when we get to this verse.

In Alma 2:16, it says that Alma is "at the head of his armies," not trying to protect himself, but to protect his people, fighting with the wicked Amlicites face-to-face. This is a scary prospect. It says in Alma 2: 27 that after the Amlicites joined forces with the Lamanites and returned to defeat the Nephites that those Lamanites + Amlicites were "numerous almost, as it were, as the sands of the sea." The Nephites were relying on their faith in the Lord, and that they were defending their beliefs, their God, and their families.

Alma never flinched from his faith in the Lord and in doing so, he helped his people to be strong during great adversity. The Lord gave him strength to slay Amlici in Alma 2:31, then fight the king of the Lamanites in Alma 2:32. I think it's interesting that with Alma's great faith he slew, and even gave chase, that they might have peace in their lands. Whereas the king of the Lamanites hid behind his guards once he realized that he wasn't going to defeat Alma.

Remembering
Earlier this month, I shared a seven-minute video on the book of Mosiah and how we can turn to the Lord if we always remember. When we get to Alma 4, just eight years after King Mosiah has died, and Zarahemla no longer has a king (they've moved to a system of judges that King Mosiah recommended to prevent an evil king from taking over one day, like King Noah did), we see the effects of people forgetting.

In Alma 1, no one went hungry or naked. Everyone was equal. By Alma 4, just eight years later, there were envyings and strife, and people turning their backs upon the naked and hungry. (Click on image to enlargen or click on links above to go to those scripture chapters.)

It's stunning how little time it takes for people to forget, and for a righteous to become corrupt. It's stunning how many people forgot the words of King Mosiah and how much peace and happiness they had throughout the land. It's a reminder to always remember, and always put the Lord first in our lives. We can't take our blessings and gifts for granted, lest we forget where they come from and that they should be used for good, to serve others, to serve our God. We can't forget that the Lord loves us all equally, no matter the trials we face in our lives, our gender, our age, our titles, or the color of our skin. We are to serve each other as equals, as brothers and sisters united under one God.

As happened in the land of Nephi, when Alma listened to Abinadi and escaped into the wilderness to preach the word of God, there were people in Zarahemla that hadn't forgotten. They were steadfast and immovable. They still fed and clothed the poor and needy. Alma himself stepped down as chief judge, appointing a righteous man in his place, so that he could go out among the people and teach the word of God. He was steadfast and immovable in his conviction and desire to bring people to God. He didn't put a title in front of the value of worthy work, and that's something that Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, Enos, King Mosiah, King Benjamin, King Mosiah's son King Mosiah, Alma, and of course, Alma the Younger himself, all did. It was never about fame, accolades, title, or wealth. It was about serving their people because when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God. (Mosiah 2:17).

Gideon Never Forgot
One final thought I want to share about this section of scriptures, is another one of my favorite scripture heroes, Gideon. Gideon was a brave and intelligent warrior. It says in the scriptures that the wicked Amlici was also a wise man but only "as to the wisdom of the world." (Alma 2:1). Gideon could have defeated King Noah but he let him go because the Lamanites were coming and King Noah lied and said he needed to save his people. Then, when King Noah's people were taken in bondage by the Lamanites, it was Gideon who devised a plan to help them escape and return to Zarahemla (Mosiah 22:3-9). Finally, Gideon died defending the word of God from the wicked Nehor (Alma 1:8), because at that point he was very old, and no longer able to defend himself from the blows of the sword. I admire this courageous man. A lot of his successes were that he never forgot. He ended his life as a martyr for the Lord, never forgetting his Lord, his God.

The Book of Mosiah: Gathered in Zarahemla (Come Follow Me study)

This post covers Mosiah 25-29. The Come Follow Me reading for this week is Mosiah 25-28.

Mosiah may genuinely be one of my favorite books in the Book of Mormon. Every time I read it, I am overwhelmed with the awareness of the goodness of God and his hand in our lives. I say this knowing that so many people suffer so many terrible things in this world, and it doesn't seem right, but I truly believe that He suffers when we suffer. In the grand view of the eternities, our life on earth is but a small drop of time. If we can hang on through the tough times, it will get better, and we will return to our Father in Heaven, where all will be well.

Four Sons of Mosiah Kneeling in Prayer

Photo Source: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints website

I want to focus today's thoughts on three themes that stuck out to me the most in Mosiah 25-29, the last chapters of Mosiah. These are themes I've talked about before from other verses of the Book of Mormon and the Bible, which just reaffirms for me their great importance:

1. The importance of record keeping. 

At this point in the book, all the people that we know of that are trying to follow God have reunited in Zarahemla:

1. The descendants of Zeniff (Limhi and his people) that left for the land of Nephi and then ended up in bondage to the Lamanites have escaped back to Zarahemla.

2. Ammon and King Mosiah's other men who went searching for the descendants of Zeniff have returned to Zarahemla with Limhi and his people.

3. Alma, the prophet who listened to the prophet Abinadi and led 450 faithful people into the wilderness, and were eventually put in bondage by the Lamanites have also escaped and returned to Zarahemla.

4. The wicked priests of Noah that kidnapped Lamanites and ended up with Alma's people have already gone to Zarahemla and changed their names to Nephites because they don't want to be associated with that evil (Mosiah 25:12)

It is because of these records, and the records that were brought together that Mosiah read to the reunited people, that they, and now us, know of their stories. I love picturing the people gathered together as they gasped and reacted to the history as it was shared to the people. (Mosiah 8-11). I related to to Mosiah 25:8 when it says, "For they know not what to think" as it goes through their emotions of great joy and grew sorrow for what happened to their brethern.

Throughout the Book of Mormon, we get updates on who is keeping the records, and how they are being handed off. Near the end of Mosiah, King Mosiah uses seer stones to translate some of the new records that came into his care from all the people gathering in Zarahemla, and then he entrusts them to Alma the Younger, to both care for and to continue the history of his people. (See Mosiah 28:20)

What experiences are you living through now, and what have you learned from them, that can bless others? What legacy do you want to live behind? I was intrigued as a read someone's hand-written history recently how they divided their history: 88% about their personal work history, 5% listing their trips, 4% listing their church positions and one story of faith, and 3% about family that skimmed over spouse, children, and grand-children. What balance do you want in your history? Or do you have one at all? Even writing an annual Christmas newsletter and binding those together could be a decent history. Think of the book of Enos, where Amaron summarized 320 years of the history of his people in just five verses! (Omni, 1:4-8).

2. The blessings of great faith.

Throughout the Book of Mormon and the Bible, there are great stories of mighty faith, and how the Lord blessed them. When Alma has to deal with people that are taken "in divers iniquities" (Mosiah 26:11) he goes to the Lord in prayer about what to do, rather than taking advantage of his power.

The Lord answers him, "Blessed art thou, Alma, and blessed are they who were baptized in the waters of Mormon. Thou art blessed because of they exceeding faith in the words along of my servant Abinadi. And blessed are they because of their exceeding faith in the words alone which thou has spoken unto them."

Remember, those that were baptized in the waters of Mormon had to leave behind their belongs and flee into the wilderness to practice what they believed.

Another area where I saw great faith was after a son of Alma and the sons of Mosiah repented, the sons of Mosiah wanted to return to the land of Nephi to preach repentance. I'm sure Mosiah would have liked to keep his children near and safe, after all, his sons had to plead "for many days," (Mosiah 28:5). Mosiah trusted in the Lord though, who told him, "Let them go up, for many shall believe on their words, and they shall have eternal life; and I will deliver thy sons out of the hands of the Lamanites." (Mosiah 28:7).

3. The importance of loving everyone and what that means.

Mosiah was a good and faithful man. In fact, it says in Mosiah 29:40 that, "... they did wax strong in love towards Mosiah; yea they did esteem him more than any other man; for they did not look upon him as a tyrant who was seeking for gain, yea, for that lucre which doth corrupt the sou; for he had not exacted riches of them, neither had he delighted in the shedding of blood; but he had established peace in the land, and he had granted unto his people that they should be delivered from all manner of bondage; therefore they did esteem him, yea, exceedingly, beyond measure."

His love was selfless.

In addition, he fought for fairness between all groups. It says in Mosiah 27:3-4, "And there was a strict command throughout all the churches that there should be no persecutions among them, that there should be an equality among all men. That they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb that peace; that every man should esteem his neighbor as himself, laboring with their own hands for their support.

When men were brought before Mosiah that were doing bad things, he asked Alma to figure out what to do, and Alma turned to the Lord (Mosiah 26). They both sought to be fair.

Conclusion
When the book of Mosiah draws to a close, two great men, King Mosiah, and Alma have passed away.

King Mosiah's legacy is one that was esteemed greatly and loved greatly by his people "exceedingly, beyond measure" (Mosiah 29:40).

Alma's legacy was founding the church in the land of Zarahemla, which you can see best through the son that he raised, who "did walk in the ways of the Lord, and he did keep his commandments, and he did judge righteous judgements; and there was continual peace through the land" (Mosiah 29:43).

Alma (the elder) then died at 82, and Mosiah then died at 63, 509 years after Lehi left Jerusalem (Mosiah 29:46).

What an incredible legacy and a story of great faith among so many.

(Video) Turn to the Lord for Peace - The Importance of Remembering

I am so compelled by the story of the people that left Zarahemla and eventually returned to Zarahemla: Zeniff's group, Alma's group that ran away was an off-shoot of Zeniff's group, and Ammon's group that went looking for Zenniff at King Mosiah's request. Also, the people of Zarahemla that the Lord directed to that part of the land in the first place, and Mosiah, King Benjamin's father, who was led by the Lord out of the land of Nephi to the land of Zarahemla.

When I was asked to share a recorded message this week, I thought about the below passage of scriptures that deeply affected me as I was studying them last week. I put my thoughts into a video recording so that you can both listen to my thoughts and watch some slides I made to go with them here. It's seven minutes long.

The talk is centered around these scriptures:

Mosiah 23:25-29 -

25 For behold, it came to pass that while they were in the land of Helam, yea, in the city of Helam, while tilling the land round about, behold an army of the Lamanites was in the borders of the land.

26 Now it came to pass that the brethren of Alma fled from their fields, and gathered themselves together in the city of Helam; and they were much frightened because of the appearance of the Lamanites.

27 But Alma went forth and stood among them, and exhorted them that they should not be frightened, but that they should remember the Lord their God and he would deliver them.

28 Therefore they hushed their fears, and began to cry unto the Lord that he would soften the hearts of the Lamanites, that they would spare them, and their wives, and their children.

29 And it came to pass that the Lord did soften the hearts of the Lamanites. And Alma and his brethren went forth and delivered themselves up into their hands; and the Lamanites took possession of the land of Helam.

Come Follow Me: In the Strength of the Lord - Mosiah 7-10

The themes for Mosiah 7-10 that most stood out for me were learning from our parents, faith during affliction, and the importance of record-keeping. I felt the theme in the Come Follow Me manual for this set of scriptures was a great umbrella term for these themes that stood out for me: "In the Strength of the Lord."

Summary of the history covered in Mosiah 7-10
In Mosiah 7-10, King Mosiah sends 16 strong men, led by Ammon, to find out what happened to the men that left to inhabit the city of Lehi-Nephi, who left with Zeniff. They had never heard from them again. What happened is that Zeniff struck a deal to live peacefully in Nephi-Lehi, and did so for twelve years, before the Lamanites attacked them with King Laman's blessing. From then on, the people of Zeniff had to guard their people, and with God's help, they defeated and slayed 3,043 Lamanites in one day and one night but they also lost 279 of their own brethren. They were watchful from that point forward. 22 years later, King Laman's son had taken reign and the attacks began again. By the time Ammon found the people, they are in bondage, paying a 50% tax on all they had to the Lamanites, a heavy burden.

We learn that this land was huge, and it was a miracle that Ammon found them because a descendent of Zeniff, King Limhi, had also sent people out to find the city of Zarahemla - 43 people that were lost in the wilderness for any days and found a city that had been destroyed, but they never found Zarahemla.

Strength in the Lord
Throughout the story, we learn about how turning to the Lord, or turning away from the Lord, had consequences for people. We learn that the reason the Lamanites were so vile against the descendants of Zeniff was that they held a grudge taught to them by their fathers, that they felt they had been unfairly wronged by Nephi. We have a great responsibility to influence for kindness and good instead of nurturing generations-old grudges that can be based on untruths and often the selfish bending of the truth. Why nurture anger when we can nurture Christ-like attributes that seek to serve and bring kindness to others?

Our decisions can truly affect generations to come. We see this as I have mentioned in the past, with the strong leadership of men like King Benjamin and King Mosiah, who labored with their people and taught the importance of faith, hard work, and obedience to God. We see this in the opening lines of the Book of Mormon, as Nephi declares that he has been born to "goodly parents."

We see this as King Limhi joyfully welcomes Ammon into his land after realizing that he, too, is a descendant of Zarahemla. He holds a meeting of all of his people and focuses on a God of mercy that helps his people through their trials. He says in Mosiah 7:18-20:

"O ye, my people, lift up your heads and be comforted ... put your trust in God, in that God who was the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; and also, that God who brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, and caused that they should walk through the Red Sea on dry ground, and fed them with manna that they might not perish in the wilderness; and many more things did he do for them. And again, that same God has brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem, and has kept and preserved his people even until now; and behold, it is because of our iniquities and abominations that he has brought us into bondage."

Nurturing Strength in the Lord
Bringing these two strong lessons together, that of being an example in teaching goodness, and that of turning to the Lord, we can see examples of how this happens effectively.

During a Sunday School lesson many months ago, a woman in church shared that she has a young daughter that experiences some anxiety. They read together an account of one of her ancestors that shared that she struggled from anxiety, too! Hearing that her ancestor was just like her, but was still a great woman, brought this child a lot of comfort. This wouldn't have happened if the mother wasn't faithfully following the direction to work on family history, if an ancestor hadn't focused on good record-keeping, and if the mother hadn't worked to instill in her daughter that we can turn to the Lord in our struggles.

In another example shared in the Sunday School manual, Elder Donald L.Hallstrom shared his story in "Turn to the Lord," of grandparents that suffered a devastating loss (their only daughter died in childbirth trying to bear twins) and how they turned to the Lord despite their heartbreak. Years later, another descendant died giving birth at 34, leaving behind four children. Says Hallstrom, "With the example that they had seen in the previous generation, my parents - without hesitation - turned to the Lord for solace."

We can always turn to the Lord in our struggles, and like the quote from King Limhi above shows, the timeline of when the struggle will end is not always clear, but the Lord will provide a way and lift our burdens for us as we faithfully trust in him.